Invalid lifter and carrier



Sept. 6 9

7 (1,641,388 s. s. JENKINS I'NVALID LIFTER AND CARRIER Filed Nov. 25, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet l S. S. JENKINS INVALID LIFTER AND CARRIER Sept.- 6, 1927.

Filed Nov.

5 r 1 i m 5. W 2

fizazz ze Patented Sept. 6, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

STANLEY s. JENKr as, or BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR To LIV ZEY SU GICAL sERvIoE, 11%., or NEWARK, NEW JERsEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

INVALID LIFTER AND CARRIER.

This invention relates to an apparatus by which an invalid may be lifted from bed or chair or other place and transported to any position desired and more particularly relates to a portable apparatus which may be adapted to varying conditions as desired. The invention is in the nature of an improvement on the invention, set forth in my Patent No. 1,450,950 of April 10, 1923.

A primary object of the invention is to provide an apparatus of the above mentioned character which may be simply and economically manufactured and sold at a reasonable cost, an apparatus which will be strong and durable, easily manipulated to raise or'lower the patient and one which will be capable of being turned in narrow limits and capable of readily passing throughdoors, longrcorridors and the like for expeditious transportation of patients above hospitals, sanitariums or homes.

Another object is to provide an apparatus of the foregoing character so. constructed and balanced that an invalid may be transported in practically any position desired and in practically any relation to the structure of the apparatus and whereby the operator may manipulate the apparatus for lifting the patient from his orhe r bed or chair from any position taken tomove thei couplings 12 for connection of casters 13 as apparatus from various positions in the room or hall or building to other positions.

Still other important objects include the provision of a unique type of framework whereby the foregoing and other objects may be obtained in the simplest manner without loss of strength but rather gain in strength of construction, the provision of a construction in which the main lifting mechanism is placed where it will notinterfere with patient or operator or become entangled with the clothing of either while being easily accessible for adjustment or repair, the provision of counter-balances for parts of the lifting mechanism, totally inclosed within the framework of the apparatus, theprovision of a swivelmechanism in conjunction with the sling or stretcher or other supporting device immediate to the patientso that the patient may be swung to a position transversely across or longitudinally with the ap-,

paratus or to any position, from either direction, intermediate thereto, and many other features of novelty which will hereinafter appear. i

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the side adjacent which the patient is supported. Fig. 3 s a top plan view thereof.

Fig; 4 is a fragmentary longitudinal central sectional view of the lifting mechanism and Fig. 5 is a View similar to that of Fig. at

taken centrally through one of the upright frame members of the apparatus.

The frame is preferably constructed from steel tubing or the like and comprises a base frame composed of fore and aft members 2 r and 3 connected intermediate their ends by a transverse member 4 welded at its points of juncture therewith and at the front ends,

i. e., the ends adjacent the position of the operator, by a member 5 through the medium of double T couplings 6 and 7 whereby upright members 8 and 9 "may be connected to the upper nipples of the couplings and casters 11 may be secured in the lower nipples thereof. The rear ends of the fore and aft members 2 and 3 are provided with elbow will be well understood.

At a point substantially waist high to the average operator, which point is indicated at 14, the uprights 8 and .9 are bent or inclined upwardly and backwardly to provide portions 15, the upper extremities ofwhich terminate substantially or approximately over the rear encs of the base frame members 2 and. 3. Preferably these inclined portions do not extend to a point over the rear ends'of the base frame but terminate slightly short thereof to obviate any tendency toward overturning of the apparatus when a patent is supported thereby. Brace members 16 arewelded or otherwise connected to the fore and aft base frame members at or about the point where i the horizontal connecting members 4 are con- 'nected to the latter and preferably extend vertically upward for some distance, then curve forwardly to a point of tangency 17 with the uprights 8 and 9 at which point these two members may be weldedtogether, from thencethesebrace' members curve away tothe rear to a point 18 where they jog inuprights 8 and 9 are, similarly to the brace all members 18, bent or offset inwardly toward one another at points 21 corresponding to points 18 and with this construction a greater stability of the apparatus is obtained. Howi; ever, it may not be preferred to offset the membersS. 9 and 16 as at 21 and 18 for a more simple and cheaper but strong con struction may be had by omitting the jog or offset. The brace members 16 may in turn be braced as at 22 and at other points if desired to increase their rigidity.

The upper ends of the inclined members 15 are connected by and provide bearings for a shaft 23 on the ends of which sprockets 24 are secured and adapted for rotation with the shaft] Chains 25 are carried over the sprockets 24 and at one end connected with counterweights 26 adapted to slide up and down within the tubular inclined portions 15 of the uprights, while at their opposite ends they are connected to the opposite ends of a bar 27 at 28 and 29. The sprockets 24 are suitably housed in housings 32 and 33 in the same manner. Centrally of the shaft 23 a spiral toothed pinion 34 is securelycon'nected for cooperative engagement with a worm gear carried and operated by a shaft 36 having bearings in a housing 37 inclosing the gears 34 and and connected to the housings 32 and 33 at 38. and 39 respectively.

The uprightsS and 9, at a convenient point intermediate the ends of the inclined portions or sections 15, are joined by a brace member 40 which may be welded thereto and on this may be arranged at any position along the shaft 23), a lug 41 providing a bearing 42 for the shaft 36 is secured and the lower end of the shaft projects below the bearing to permit the connection of a crank 43 whereby the shaft may be rotated to rotate the gears 34 and 35 and thus the sprockets, to raise and lower the bar 27 connected to the chains. All parts of the frame structure may be joined together in any suitable manner as by couplings or by welding, but since it is desired to make the uprights 8 andr9 and the braces 16 in one, iece each I are'fer to weld these l 1 parts together and to their various connections. I

Anysuitable light but, strong stretcher it frame, such as that indicated at 44, but which may be replaced by a sling,,chair, or other device for immediately supporting a patient, may be utilized in connection with the lifting mechanism hereinbefore described. The stretcher frame of the drawings'has been seflected .merely for the, purpose of illustration and may be connected through the medium of chains 45 and 46 to a cross chain .47 supported at its ends by the lower ends of chains 48 and 49, at their upper ends connected to a cross bar 50 similar to but preferably shorter than the bar-.27. The two bars 27 and 50 which are, in fact, swivel supporting bars functioning in the same manner as single trees, are connected together by any suitable pivot or swivel mechanism, generally indicated at 51, in order thatthe stretcherframe 44, and the patient supported thereon, may be swung to any position with respect to the frame of the machine or its operator.

In operation the chains 45 and 46 are disconnected from the stretcher, sling, or other device upon which the patient or invalid is to be placed and the latter is placed conveniently to the patient so that he may place himself thereon or be lifted, rolled, or slid thereon as the nature of the case may dictate. Thereafter, the lifting frame is rolled to a position accessible to the ,patient carrying device, the chains 45 and 46 are secured thereto, and the operator, by turning the crank 43, winds up the chains 25 liftmg the patient. The counterweights 26, during this operation, slide down the interior of the inclined portions lo, taking up any slack in the chains and form a stop to prevent the chains from running down into the uprights at the. limit of their upward movement. By employment ofthe worm gear 35 and spiral gear 34, the apparatus is self-locking in any position the operator is not required to hold the crank '43 during bodily 'movements of the apparatus and patient from one point to another. y i I Another one of the unique advantages provided by this apparatus, is that all oper ating parts thereof which might interfere with, tear, or soil the clothing of the operator or invalld, are totally lnclosed and as little or no adjustment of the working part will be needed during the life ofthe apparatus, the parts need never be exposed.

While I have shown and described a preferred form of the invention, it willbe obvious that many modifications and changes in form of construction may be "if made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of thegappended claims. Iclaim: V f' 1; In an-invalid lifter and carrier, a substantially rectangular base frame, uprights I rising from the front end of said frame and having integral "inclined portions extending upwardly and backwardly from a point substantially waist high at the front. to'a rearward point substantially perpendicular over the back end of said base frame, and

brace members rising fromthe'sides of said base frame intermediate the front and rear ends thereof, curved to and from points of tangency with said uprights intermediate their lower ends and points of inclination, and connecting with said inclined portions intermediate the ends thereof.

2. In an invalid lifter and carrier, a base frame comprising a pair of fore and aft members connected by a first brace member at their front ends and a second brace member parallel the first brace member intermediate the ends of the fore and aftmembers, a pair of uprights rising adjacent the corners formed by said fore and aft members and the first brace member to a point substantially waist high and inclining upwardly and rearwardly in substantially parallel relation to a point substantially vertically over the rear ends of said fore and aft members, a pair of brace members rising from said fore and aft members intermediate the ends thereof each curved to and from a point of tangency with its immediately adjacent upright intermediate the lower end and point of inclination thereof and abutting against the lower sides of the uprights intermediate the upper ends and.

points of inclination thereof, and transverse bracing means connecting both the uprights and the curved braces at points intermediate their ends.

3. An invalid lifter and carrier comprising, a substantially rectangular base frame, uprights at either side of the front of the frame having upper port-ions upwardly and rearwardly inclined in substantially parallel spaced relation, one of said upper portions being hollow for a part of its length, a shaft mounted for. rotation upon the upper ends of said uprights, a sprocket fixed to said shaft adjacent each end thereof, a gear on said shaft and fixed thereto, a second shaft transverse to the first shaft and provided with a gear for meshing with the first said gear and a sprocket, means arranged at the front of the lifter and carrier for rotating the second shaft, a flexible member arranged over said sprocket, and a counterweight connected to said fiexlble member and slidable within the hollow part of said upper portion of a frame member.

4:. An invalid lifter and carrier comprising, a base frame, uprights at each side of the frame adjacent one side thereof and having their upper portions inclining upwardly and rearwardly in parallel spaced relation, said upper portions being hollow for a portion of their length, a transverse shaft supported by the upper ends of the inclined portions of the uprights, sprockets on said shaft adjacent said uprights, a gear on said shaft, a shaft transverse to the firstrelation, a transverse shaft supported by the upper ends of the inclined portions of the uprights, sprockets on said shaft adjacent said uprights, a gear on said shaft, a shaft transverse to the first said shaft extending downwardly in substantially parallel relation to said uprights and supported by said uprights, a gear on said transverse shaft meshing with the gear on the first said shaft, means for rotating said transverse shaft, chains passing over said sprockets, and passing downwardly into said upwardly inclined portions of the uprights, c0unterweights within said inclined portions and connected to the ends of said chains, and a transverse bar connecting the opposite ends of sa1d chains.

In witness of the foregoing I afiix my signature.

STANLEY S. JENKINS. 

